Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said that efforts are being made to resolve the issue over shots being fired from Myanmar territory targeting Bangladeshi vessels along the Teknaf-St Martin’s island sea lane through discussions.
He said efforts are on to seek resolution through discussions, avoiding war. However, if attacked, a response will be given.
The bridges minister made these remarks at the Awami League president's office in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi on Saturday afternoon.
“Our neighbouring country Myanmar has some internal crises. They have 54 ethnic groups. There are conflicts among them. It will be very unfortunate if we suffer due to their internal crisis. A military government is in power there. We are trying to solve it through discussions and will continue to do so avoiding war. However, if we are attacked, we will respond. There is no reason to underestimate us. We are ready,” said Quader.
Referring to the Rohingya crisis that has overwhelmed Bangladesh, the AL leader said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina generously opened the borders for humanitarian reasons. For this, she is called the ‘Mother of Humanity’. Now, countries and organisations around the world praise us for this and provide lip service. “
“However, the multitude of assistance for Rohingyas has decreased significantly. We are worried about the ongoing economic crisis. The additional burden of nearly 1.2 million Rohingyas is creating extreme pressure. We don't need lip service from the big countries who are concerned about the rohingyas. The burden of the Rohingyas needs to be lifted from us alone. We are making every effort. Wherever our prime minister goes, she raises the Rohingya issue first,” the minister said.
Regarding traffic congestion over Eid journey on the roads, the minister said, although there is traffic congestion in some places, there was no need to wait for hours anywhere.
Regarding BNP's claim that the government will fall at any moment, the AL general secretary said, “In one word, this is their daydream. Government changes either through a popular uprising or an election. The election was held on January 7, 2024. The idea that the government will fall in a popular uprising is laughable.
“The only popular uprising in this country was in 1969. There has been no uprising after that. There was a mass movement in 1990, not an uprising, which led to the fall of dictator Ershad.”
Regarding recent comments made about Bangladesh by US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, Quader said, “We follow our constitution and will continue to do so. We don't think there is any need to worry about what Donald Lu said. They will sometimes criticise and sometimes praise us on various issues; that is up to them. We will move forward following our constitution based on our policies.”